Tour de France: Mark Cavendish sets new mark with narrow win

Angers (France): Mark Cavendish moved up to joint second on the all-time Tour de France stage win list with victory in yesterday's third stage by the tightest of margins.

Great Britain's Mark Cavendish (right) celebrates after crossing the finish line at the end of Stage 3 of Tour de France yesterday. Pic/AFP

It was Cavendish's 28th Tour stage victory, and second of this edition in three days, to equal the mark of French hero Bernard Hinault.

Only Belgian legend Eddy Merckx remains ahead of the Manx Missile now with an astonishing 34 stage wins. But the 31-year-old Briton was a hair's breadth away from losing out to German Andre Greipel, who had dominated the Manxman last year in winning four stages to Cavendish's one.

A metre from the line, Greipel looked sure to win, yet somehow Cavendish stretched out his bike to snatch victory.